Anniversary
by Data Girl 3
Summary: A short drabble written in honor of Mad Hatter day. Takes place in the Rash Defamation universe. Contains references to the OUAT graphic novels


With his back against the door, Jefferson could feel the vibrations of the axe as it hacked away at the wooden planks. However, he was unable to find it in him to think about anything beyond the grievously injured woman cradled in his arms. Tears stung his eyes as he lifted her hand to his lips, not caring that his own hands were coated in her blood.

"Priscilla," he choked out. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me…."

"Forget about all that, Jefferson," Pricilla interrupted, forcing herself to smile weakly up at him. "What's important now is Grace. Our daughter….you have to be there for her. I had no illusions when I married you. But Grace….she won't understand if neither of us comes back."

Jefferson was just opening his mouth to reply to that, but his words died in his throat when Pricilla's face suddenly twisted in pain. Before he had the chance to do anything to comfort her, however, Pricilla once again focused her eyes on him.

"Please," she whispered, her voice growing faint and weak. "You have to go. For Grace. There's no more time."

Choking back a sob, Jefferson pulled Pricilla's body closer, closing his eyes in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. When he opened them again, he found the scene before him had changed. Instead of being trapped in the March Hare's tea room, he was standing before a tall mirrored door. But he wasn't alone. Regina was standing there with him, along with the old man he recognized as Regina's father.

"The Queen's soldiers," Regina's father muttered, looking back as the sound of approaching footsteps reached them. "We must hurry." Without hesitation, Regina turned to walk through the mirrored door, with her father at her side.

"You knew only two could go through the hat!" Jefferson stated, realization sinking in. "Which is why you didn't tell me about your father."

"It was the only way to make sure you'd help me," Regina commented, barely looking back at him. In desperation, Jefferson tried to run after them, but his feet sank into the ground, preventing him from moving.

"Wait!" Jefferson cried in panic. "Wait! Wait, please! My daughter… My Grace! She's… She's waiting for me. I promised her I'd… I'd be home for tea."

"A promise which you now have broken," Regina snapped, rounding on him. "If you truly cared for your daughter, you never would've left her in the first place. You were right, Jefferson. You don't abandon family."

With those words, Regina turned on her heal and marched through the mirrored door, not looking back.

* * *

Jefferson's eyes snapped open as a strangled gasp slipped from his throat. For almost half a minute, he lay completely still, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't until his heartrate started to slow down that he realized he was still crying. With a shaky sigh, he reached up to wipe away the tears from his eyes before pulling himself out of bed, sparing a glance at the other side of the bed, which was conspicuously vacant. For a long moment, he simply stared around the large bedroom that he had obtained when the Dark Curse brought him to Storybrooke over 28 years ago. 28 years of isolation, with nothing but bad memories to keep him company.

He wasn't able to slip out from his state of reminiscence until the pangs of hunger became too much to ignore. Wordlessly, he stepped over to the old rocking chair that sat in the corner of the room to retrieve the pants he'd deposited there last night before stepping out into the hall to make his way downstairs to try and find some breakfast. Before he could take more than five steps, however, he passed by a mirror and caught sight of his reflection. A slight grimace appeared on his face as his eyes fell to the old scar that circumvented his entire neck. Even now, he could still remember with perfect clarity the feeling of the sharpened blade slicing through his skin. An involuntary shiver washed over him as he began to feel self-conscious, reaching into his pocket to pull out a scarf. He didn't continue on his way until he was sure the scar was completely hidden by the scarf.

It wasn't until he reached the downstairs landing that he heard the voices wafting out from the dining room. After a momentary pause, he silently trod over to the entryway leading into the room, where he simply stood watching the scene in front of him. Grace and Belle were sitting next to each other at the table, talking and laughing over a large platter of French toast topped with fresh fruit. Jefferson couldn't bring himself to move from his spot, feeling that announcing his presence would just ruin the moment.

In a matter of seconds, he felt his heart sinking in his chest, the memories of his dual nightmare coming back to him. Once again, he could see Pricilla's pale face and sightless eyes. He remembered the feeling of despair of watching Regina leaving him stranded in Wonderland, knowing that Grace would be waiting for him to come home in vain. He remembered the number of times he watched Grace from afar as she ate dinner with her cursed parents.

"Papa!"

The sound of Grace's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up in time to see Grace slip out of her seat to hug him in greeting.

"Morning, Papa," Grace said.

"Morning to you, too," Jefferson muttered, crouching down to kiss her forehead. "I see you and Belle made breakfast."

"Yeah, she's been taking some cooking tip from Ruby," Grace stated. "If you add flour to the batter, it actually makes it taste even better!"

"Is that right?"

"Yes, you have to try some!"

"Oh, Grace," Belle spoke up, glancing over at the clock standing against the wall. "You probably should get dressed. Courtney's birthday party starts in an hour."

After one last hug, Grace turned and left the dining room to head back upstairs. Once she'd left, Belle stepped over to Jefferson's side, smiling up at him.

"Good morning! I was just about to come up to check on you." Moments later, her smile faded, noticing the expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jefferson answered, briefly looking away. "At least, not really. Just…old memories." An understanding look immediately crossed Belle's face, as if she knew exactly what memories Jefferson was thinking about.

"Perhaps you should discuss them with Archie today?" she suggested, concern filling her voice. "You're still planning on seeing him at 2:30 today, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose I should," Jefferson agreed. "I just…wasn't prepared to revisit those particular memories so vividly. I had a feeling I would have some kind of recollection today, but it felt like I was actually _reliving_ those memories."

"Would it help…if I came to sit with you during your session this time?" Belle offered. "I mean, if it's okay with Archie."

"You'd do that?" Jefferson asked, visibly taken aback.

"Of course I would," Belle replied. "If you think it would help."

"Belle," Jefferson sighed. "Are…are you sure you're….sometimes I…I don't think you deserve this. Maybe my mind is too damaged, and you deserve someone….less broken."

"Jefferson, there is nothing wrong with your mind," Belle insisted. "Yes, you're the Mad Hatter. But after everything you've gone through, it's to be expected that you'd be affected by that. Besides, I think it's safe to say that _everyone_ in town is a little broken in their own way."

"Let me guess," Jefferson chucked. "We're all mad here, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Belle agreed with a chuckle. "But let me tell you something. The best people usually are."

As if to seal her words, Belle reached out to cup Jefferson's face in her hands before standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him. In response, Jefferson wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he returned the kiss.

At that moment, they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

"Who could that be?" Belle wondered.

"I'm not sure," Jefferson muttered, gently stepping out of Belle's arms. "I'd better go check." With that, he stepped out to the main foyer to open the front door. But he was momentarily frozen in place when he saw who was standing there. Of all the people who could have paid him a visit, Regina was the last person he was expecting.

"Hello," Regina finally said, visibly conscious of how Jefferson was simply staring at her. "I…I realize I'm probably the last person you'd want to see today."

"Then why are you here?" Jefferson asked stiffly, defiantly refusing to look at her.

"Because….I remember what day it is," Regina admitted. "I know it's the anniversary of the day I…."

"The day you left me stranded in Wonderland?" Jefferson offered, his tone filled with bitterness.

"Yes, that," Regina agreed, visibly chastised. "That's…that's why I'm here. I just wanted you to know that….I'm sorry."

"Oh, you're sorry?" Jefferson repeated, laughing cynically. "Yes, that just makes it all better. Separating me from my daughter? And then making me spend those 28 years being the only one in town who actually remembered the truth? So I'd be forced to watch Grace happy with another family, when she didn't even _remember_ me?"

"I know. I know that a simple apology doesn't mean much. Especially after all these years. But… after that ordeal with my sister, and…finding out about what I did to Robin….I ended up resuming my sessions with Archie. I started to realize exactly how many people I hurt."

"You're just realizing that _now?_ " Jefferson scoffed.

"Okay, that's fair," Regina allowed. "I know there's nothing I can do to fix things. The past cannot be undone. I just…wanted you to know that…I'm sorry.

"Also," Regina continued, glancing down at the paper shopping bag that Jefferson only just noticed was in her hand. "I realize this is probably also an empty gesture. And it's also not enough to make up for everything, but…I should have let you have this long before today."

Without another word, she held the paper bag out to Jefferson. Upon taking the bag, Jefferson glanced inside and saw a stuffed white rabbit.

"I know this rabbit," Jefferson mused. "This was the rabbit that Grace saw on the toy cart. The day after you showed up at our cottage."

"I know," Regina admitted. " _I_ was the old peddler woman. Again, I'm sorry for the deception. I'm sorry for tricking you into bringing me to Wonderland, knowing that you'd end up becoming stranded. And at the mercy of my mother."

When Jefferson didn't reply to that remark, Regina turned and started to walk off.

"You know what I don't understand?" Jefferson suddenly asked. "Why did you continue to torture me? It was bad enough that you tricked me in Wonderland. But why would you make me spend those 28 years remembering? You could have just given me cursed memories, the way you did with everyone else. But instead, you gave me cursed memories while letting me remember the truth. Why?"

"I'm…not really sure," Regina confessed. "Maybe….I was blaming you for giving me false hope. That Dr. Frankenstein could bring back Daniel. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted to punish you for that. Even so, it was wrong of me."

Jefferson pursed his lips, contemplating Regina's words. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. After all, he knew the incident Regina mentioned had been part of Rumpelstiltskin's scheme to break her heart and make her more susceptible to his teachings. A scheme that he had been in on. Briefly, he wondered if Regina knew that. Did Dr. Whale fill her in after the ordeal when he actually had brought back Daniel? But before he could figure out how to go about asking her, he noticed Regina was already starting to walk off again.

"Regina?" Jefferson called after her. "Thank you. I…I appreciate the apology." In response, Regina gave a weak smile before continuing on her way.

Jefferson didn't shut the door again until Regina rounded the corner. Upon turning around, he saw Belle was standing behind him. It was clear from the look on her fact that she'd overheard everything.

"Jefferson?" she asked cautiously, reaching out to him in an obvious gesture of comfort. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jefferson replied after a lengthy pause, accepting her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze of gratitude. "I think I am."


End file.
